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INDIAN NOTES 
AND MONOGRAPHS 




A SERIES OF PUBLICA- 
TIONS RELATING TO THE 
AMERICAN ABORIGINES 



SANDALS AND OTHER FABRICS 
FROM KENTUCKY CAVES 

BY 

WILLIAM C. ORCHARD 



NEW YORK 

MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 

HEYE FOUNDATION 

1920 



Monograph 



E<\* 



35(3C>f 



This series of Indian Notes and Mono- 
graphs is devoted primarily to the publica- 
tion of the results of studies by members of 
the staff of the Museum of the American 
Indian, Heye Foundation, and is uniform 
with Hispanic Notes and Monographs, 
published by the Hispanic Society of 
America, with which organization this 
Museum is in cordial cooperation. 



Gift 

Publisher 
HUW 8 1920 






^ 



SANDALS AND OTHER 
FABRICS FROM KEN- 
TUCKY CAVES 



BY 

WILLIAM C. ORCHARD 



SANDALS AND OTHER FABRICS 
FROM KENTUCKY CAVES 

By William C. Orchard 



*■* 



I 



N 1894 the late Col. Bennett H. 
Young, of Louisville, Kentucky, 
an enthusiast in local archeology, 
undertook a careful investigation 
of some of the famous caves of that locality. 
His efforts were rewarded by the discovery 
of many remarkable artifacts of undoubted 
antiquity, as well as other evidences indi- 
cating aboriginal occupancy of at least some 
of the caves. Colonel Young has published 
a valuable monograph 1 illustrating and de- 
scribing many of the specimens found during 
his work in the caves, as well as other 
valuable material collected in various parts 
of the state and in adjacent territory, illus- 
trating the life of the prehistoric inhabi- 
tants. Many of the specimens obtained by 



INDIAN NOTES 



6 


KENTUCKY CAVES 




Colonel Young have been added to the col- 
lections of the Museum of the American 
Indian, Heye Foundation, among which are 
some textile fabrics, which rarely occur 
archeologically in the East. 

Owing to the favorable atmospheric con- 
ditions, and the careful manner in which the 
fabrics were removed from the caves, a 
quantity of these artifacts have been so well 
preserved that it has been possible to study 
the methods employed in weaving some of 
them. The greater number of specimens 
in the Museum collection were found in 
Salts cave in Edmonson county, of which 
Colonel Young writes: 

"The Salts cave, the most prolific in pre- 
historic relics, and rivaling even Mammoth 
cave in the size and grandeur of its avenues 
and chambers, was known nearly one hundred 
years ago, and though often visited has never 
been thoroughly explored, and little has been 
written of its remarkable evidences of prehistoric 
life. Among the most interesting discoveries 
were a number of neatly braided slippers or 
sandals, and fragments of textile art. 

"Several materials seem to have been used 
in the manufacture of these. Some were made 
of the fiber of the cattail, or Typha, a plant 
which grows abundantly in the ponds in the 




INDIAN NOTES 



SANDALS AND FABRICS 



southern part of the state. Others were woven 
of the inner bark of trees, probably the pawpaw 
and linn. Still others were made of what ap- 
pears to be the fiber of the wild hemp, and yet 
others from a species of grass which grew in 
great abundance on the Barrens of Kentucky." 

Among the artifacts discovered in the 
caves, nothing of European origin was re- 
covered. Many pieces of cut wood were 
found, all bearing positive evidence of 
having been worked with primitive tools. 
Numerous excavations were made in the 
caves by the early occupants, apparently 
with sharp-pointed sticks, specimens of 
which were recovered. Stone implements 
and pottery were scarce in the interior of 
the cave, but many flint flakes, pestles, 
axes, knives, and arrowpoints were found 
about and in its entrance. A quantity of 
raw material for weaving was found scat- 
tered about the floors of the cave, some of 
it tied in neat bundles in readiness for use. 
Strings of fine twisted fiber, and larger 
cords of braided material, sometimes of six 
or eight strands, were numerous, but no 
large twisted cord or rope seems to have 
been discovered. 



AND MONOGRAPHS 



8 


KENTUCKY CAVES 




Of special interest are the sandals and 
other fabrics. Although in a good state of 
preservation, the materials from which these 
objects were made are so brittle and matted 
that unwrapping or untwisting the cords or 
weavings is impossible, and therefore a few 
minor details may be lacking in the follow- 
ing description of the technique employed 
in the manufacture of the textiles. 

The sandals show variation in technique 
according to the materials employed. 
Those made of coarse, fibrous material, 
such as that which appears to be from the 
cattail (Typha), or possibly of husks or 
stalks of corn, are manufactured in the 
well-known checker weave. The work- 
manship in this case is rather crude, neither 
technique nor material lending itself to the 
production of a shapely sandal. The foot- 
wear made from finer material, however, 
shows skill in the art of weaving. 

Fig. 1 illustrates a close-twined weave 
composed of warp- and weft-strands of 
slightly twisted material, which may be 
either wild hemp or fine grass ; both warp 
and weft, however, seem to be of the same 




INDIAN NOTES 



SANDALS AND FABRICS 


9 


material. The weft is composed of two 
strands (a, b), of which the latter (b) passes 
under the first warp and over the second, 
while the former (a) crosses over the first 

a b 

Fig. 1. — Close twined weave. 

and under the second. This process is con- 
tinued throughout the weave. Meanwhile 
the two weft-strands cross each other at the 




AND MONOGRAPHS 





10 


KENTUCKY CAVES 




intersection of the warp, as shown at c. 
The drawing shows the weft-strands which 
are above the warp, all leaning in one 
direction. This is the same technique as 
that used in twined basketry. 

Fig. 2 illustrates a different method of 
crossing the weft over the warp, for in this 
case one row points to the left, while the 
next one leans toward the right, the rows 
alternating. This change in the method of 
crossing the weft-strands has brought about 
an entirely different appearance in the 
finished surface of the weave, as compared 
with that shown in fig. 1. The result is a 
pattern suggesting a chevron design that 
seems to have had the preference, if we may 
judge by the number of specimens in the 
Museum's collection showing this technique. 
The drawings are made to show the weaving 
elements widely separated, in order that 
one may readily follow the crossings and 
turns, as well as the way of changing the 
direction of the weft-strands when making 
the turn at the edges of the weave. A 
comparison of the two weaves is shown in 
pi. i, II. The specimens, however, are all 




INDIAN NOTES 



SANDALS AND FABRICS 



11 



woven closely, so that the warp-strands are 
entirely concealed, except for the space of 
about an inch in width at the back of the 
heel, but not reaching below the tread. 




Fig. 2. — Twined weave showing chevron pattern. 

The general appearance of a finished sandal 
would suggest that the weave was made in 
a rectangular piece before being shaped, 



AND MONOGRAPHS 



12 


KENTUCKY CAVES 




rather than that it was formed as the 
weaving progressed. 

One feature in favor of this belief is a 
point at the base of the heel, evidently 
effected by turning up the edges of the 
weave to make the sides of the sandal. A 
sharp bend or fold in a line of the weave 
would have had a tendency to cause a crowd- 
ing of the fiber at that point, and this may 
account for the slight projection at the base 
of theheel. On the other hand, if the sandal 
had been shaped during the operation of 
weaving, the projection referred to would 
not have been likely to occur; and, further, 
there would be no apparent reason for the 
existence of the uncovered warp-strands at 
the back of the heel. 

Another feature is the formation of the 
toe-end of a sandal, where the end of the 
weave is again folded in the middle and the 
edges brought together, forming a seam from 
the point of the toe to the instep. The sharp 
projection is not so pronounced here as in 
the fold at the heel-end of the weave. 
However, as there are only used, and in 
some cases much worn, specimens for ex- 




INDIAN NOTES 



SANDALS AND FABRICS 13 



animation, these peculiarities are not so 
prominent as they would be in a new piece 
of work. The following suggestions as to 
the method of manufacture may also furnish 
a reason for the uncovered warp at the back 
of the heel. 

The warp-strands were apparently laid 
lengthwise of the foot and of sufficient 
length to extend up one side and down the 
opposite side of the foot, making a turn at 
the heel. The number of warp elements 
were determined by the size of the object 
to be made. There are twenty-two strands 
in the sandal illustrated in pi. HI. 

The weave was commenced near the 
looped warp and carried along to the length 
required, when the edges were turned up to 
make the sides of the sandal. This opera- 
tion would have left the looped warp- 
strands out of line with the curvature of the 
heel. To overcome such defect the warp- 
elements above the tread could have been 
drawn through the weave, much like a 
draw-string, toward the toe of the sandal, 
until the slack was taken up sufficiently to 
give shape to the heel. 



AND MONOGRAPHS 



14 KENTUCKY CAVES 



None of the specimens examined show 
that the ends of the weave were brought 
together to make a seam at the heel, which 
accounts for the presence of those un- 
covered strands at that part of the sandal. 
At the completion of the desired length of 
weave, the corners were turned over and 
the edges brought together, where the ends 
of the warp-strands were braided, making 
a seam from the point of the toe to the 
instep. The upper warp-elements were 
evidently drawn tight to make the sides of 
the sandal fit snugly to the foot. A finishing 
edge around the opening has been made by 
coil-stitching a strand of the same material 
as that used in making the sandal. The 
ends of this finishing edge were turned back 
over the instep and looped into the upper 
edge of the sandal, just back of the instep, 
forming a lacing, in all probability to keep 
the sandal firmly in position while being 
worn. In some instances a sandal was 
made small enough to conform to the 
shape of the foot, as shown in pi. n, which 
represents a graceful, comfortable form 
which could hardly be improved in modern 



INDIAN NOTES 



SANDALS AND FABRICS 


15 


shoe-making. There is no doubt that the 
soft material used is responsible, in a 
measure, for this delicate shape. 

PL iv illustrates another shape, in which 
the protuberance on each side of the toe has 
been effected by stuffing loose fiber in those 
parts, probably for the purpose of taking 
up the excess in the width or to satisfy a 
desire for a peculiar style in footwear. 
This last shape, however, predominates, at 
least so far as the specimens in the Museum 
indicate. 

Owing to the soft, flexible nature of the 
material used in this weaving, it would be 
practically impossible to perform the opera- 
tion without the aid of a loom of some sort 
to keep the warp taut; therefore a conjec- 
tural loom is illustrated in fig. 3, which rep- 
resents a single-beam contrivance with 
weighted warp-strands. This simple form 
is suggested because the twined weaving 
may be easily produced on such a loom 
without the aid of various weaving tools; 
all the operations may be carried to com- 
pletion with the fingers alone. 

The important step at the commencement 




AND MONOGRAPHS 

i 





16 



KENTUCKY CAVES 




A^i©®®®i*®®®®® 



Fig. 3. — Conjectural beam loom with weighted warp- 
strands, (a, Looped ends of warp-strands above the beam; 

b, Beam to which the warp-strands are secured by lacing; 

c, Twined weft elements; d, Weighted warp-strands below 
the beam.) 



INDIAN NOTES 



SANDALS AND FABRICS 


17 


of a piece of weaving is to secure the warp- 
strands in parallel position, and to hold 
them taut. Supposing such a loom to have 
been used, those strands must necessarily 
have been fastened to the beam, which could 
be done by a process of lacing around the 
beam and over the warp-elements. The 
illustration, however, is presented for the 
purpose of showing the unique disposal of 
the warp-elements at the beam-end, in the 
manufacture of the sandal. 

Other specimens of woven fabrics consist 
of two complete bags and numerous frag- 
ments, some of which may be remains of 
clothing or blankets. One piece especially 
(pi. v) suggests a blanket; it is of closely- 
woven, twined technique. The warp and 
weft are each made of six- or eight-ply 
twisted fiber, differing in that respect from 
the weaving elements employed in sandal 
making. The weave is close, entirely con- 
cealing the warp. This specimen, when 
new, was probably a quarter of an inch 
thick. 

PI. vi illustrates a pouch about 1\ in. 
deep by 9\ in. wide. The technique is an 




AND MONOGRAPHS 





18 



KENTUCKY CAVES 



open twined weave. The warp is continu- 
ous — not severed at the top, but looped as 
shown in fig. 4. The twining is commenced 
along the bottom of the bag and continued 




Fig. 4. — Open twined weave. 

spirally to the top; the lines are about half 
an inch apart. The warp-strands are 
wrapped in pairs by the twining weft, and 
are twisted at each intersection of the cross- 



INDIAN NOTES 




RD 12.8 



f 



SANDALS AND FABRICS 19 


ing element. A finishing edge around the 
top of the bag is made of a six-strand 
braid, one strand of which is made to pass 
through groups of three of the looped warp- 
clements, which were twisted together be- 
fore the strand was passed through. The 
twining and braiding fiber is of darker 
color than that used for the warp, although 
apparently of the same material, which was 
probably dyed for the purpose of ornamenta- 
tion. 

The other bag mentioned is of much 
smaller proportions, measuring only 2 in. 
wide by 2\ in. deep. Its technique is 
identical with that of the larger one, but 
the braided edge has been omitted. Bags 
of the same weave are not at all uncommon 
among the Woodland Indians of today. A 
number of years ago a large earthenware 
salt-pan in fragmentary condition, now in 
this Museum, was found in a mound on the 
banks of Cumberland river, opposite Nash- 
ville, Tenn. The under-side of this vessel 
shows the imprint of the open, twined 
weave, showing evidently that the soft clay 
had been built up on a number of pieces of 




AND MONOGRAPHS 

> > 


-■-%■ 


■; --- \. %t 





20 


KENTUCKY CAVES 




cloth of that variety. The interesting fea- 
ture is the variation in the sizes of the weave 
shown in the imprint. The lines of twining 
range from an eighth of an inch to seven- 
eighths of an inch apart, with the warp- 
strands correspondingly fine or coarse. 

NOTE 

1. Young, Bennett H., The Prehistoric Men 
of Kentucky, Louisville, 1910. 




INDIAN NOTES 














































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